


Crossing A Line

by EnbyStiles



Series: Here's to Hating High School Together [7]
Category: Fear the Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Arguing, Coming Out, Family Drama, Forgiveness, Hospitals, Implied/Referenced Non-Consensual Drug Use, Jake Otto is the best big brother, M/M, Madison Clark is a bad mother, More angst, Nick needs a Hug, Sibling Bonding, The Author Regrets Nothing, Troy Otto is bad at feelings, You can't change my mind, awkward family breakfasts, how is that not a tag?, nothing is medically accurate and I'm too tired to care, so does Troy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:00:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24037777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnbyStiles/pseuds/EnbyStiles
Summary: “Is Troy okay?” Travis asks, leaning a little to one side to catch Troy’s gaze where it’s wandered towards the closed doors to the ER.Troy blinks owlishly in response, not realizing he’d zoned out. “Yeah…” he manages to say after swallowing a few times. Speaking feels... wrong. Like his throat is paralyzed to some extent. But it’s getting a little easier than it was earlier.“You really don’t remember seeing Nick at the church?” Madison asks, drawing Troy’s attention from Travis to her. The frustration in her tone, as well as on her face, is clear, and it does nothing to help with Troy's current condition. It actually makes things worse.He opens his mouth to speak, but his voice fails him completely and he ends up shaking his head before giving Jake a pleading look. He knows Jake explained what happened to him over the phone earlier. That he had a breakdown because of their father tricking his way into the funeral without any forewarning to either of them and that Troy likely dissociated before he blacked out. He’s not in the right headspace right now to give directions to the damn grocery store, let alone be in a crowded ER waiting room with someone demanding answers he can't give.
Relationships: Nick Clark/Troy Otto
Series: Here's to Hating High School Together [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1371910
Comments: 7
Kudos: 36





	Crossing A Line

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, it's about 7:30am for me. I have not slept yet, and I can't sleep until this is posted. I have no idea how this got so long but here it is.
> 
> Song's for this story are  
> Crossing A Line by Mike Shinoda  
> The End. by My Chemical romance  
> .weighted. by Frnkiero and the celabrations (yes that is spelled correctly)  
> [Here's To Hating High School Together Playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1fXl9HXXalDwxgjQFnKOSm?si=PMu7KeiJQYmrc5zXiS1i_Q)

The hospital is surprisingly loud when they enter. Loud enough that Troy finds himself standing closer to Jake than normal out of some deep, unspoken fear of being in such a place. He hates hospitals. And he has his father to thank for that. Hospitals meant he was hurt too badly and had to pretend it wasn’t big Otto’s fault. That it was his own stupidity and if he did or said anything wrong it would end very badly for him. And that fear is rearing its ugly head worse than ever in his current state of mind.

It’s not hard to find Nick’s family amongst the chaos. Madison is yelling at a doctor outside of the doors that lead back into the emergency room, with Travis at her side trying to talk her down at the same time. Alicia is there as well, standing off to the side with Cal, who has an arm around her while she clearly tries not to cry.

“Mrs. Clark!” Jake calls out, drawing the older woman’s attention away from the poor doctor, who takes the chance to escape back into the ER while she’s distracted.

“Jake, Troy!” Madison doesn’t look happy to see them. But she never looks very happy to see Troy as far as he can tell. Alicia called it resting bitch face even though it’s more of a constant expression in most situations.

“What’s going on? Is Nick okay?” Jake asks. He glances at Troy, and it’s clear his younger brother isn’t really in the right space mentally to talk much yet. He’s a bit pale. And practically radiating anxiety and mental exhaustion.

“He’s being treated right now. The doctor said it’s lucky we found him when we did,” She says as she glances over to Cal, who is now sitting on a very uncomfortable looking chair in the corner of the busy waiting-room with Alicia in the one beside his. He’s talking to her quietly, probably trying to keep her calm from the looks of things, and it’s working.

“Is Troy okay?” Travis asks, leaning a little to one side to catch Troy’s gaze where it’s wandered towards the closed doors to the ER.

Troy blinks owlishly in response, not realizing he’d zoned out. “Yeah…” he manages to say after swallowing a few times. Speaking feels... wrong. Like his throat is paralyzed to some extent. But it’s getting a little easier than it was earlier.

“You really don’t remember seeing Nick at the church?” Madison asks, drawing Troy’s attention from Travis to her. The frustration in her tone, as well as on her face, is clear, and it does nothing to help with Troy's current condition. It actually makes things worse.

He opens his mouth to speak, but his voice fails him completely and he ends up shaking his head before giving Jake a pleading look. He knows Jake explained what happened to him over the phone earlier. That he had a breakdown because of their father tricking his way into the funeral without any forewarning to either of them and that Troy likely dissociated before he blacked out. He’s not in the right headspace right now to give directions to the damn grocery store, let alone be in a crowded ER waiting room with someone demanding answers he can't give. 

But Jake knows Troy, and he knows how important Nick is to him. Mostly, anyway. So he brought him despite knowing it wasn't in his best interests at the moment.

Troy and Nick have known each other for almost 5 months now, but in that time Troy has come a long way from the person he was. From the person he was becoming because of his parent’s cruelty. He actually tells Jake how he’s feeling about things now. Not everything, but enough that Jake generally has an idea of what his brother's life is like outside of their house. And he doesn’t fight his therapist on working through his issues. Well, he does a little, but he tries. He’s still got a long way to go, but he’s better than Jake dared hope when he first saw him in the hospital after being taken from the ranch. And Nick has everything to do with that.

Madison looks like she wants to push, to argue and ask Troy more questions, and Jake can read it all over her face. So he turns to Troy and tells him to go get a soda from the machine down the hall before turning back and shifting his stance so he stands between Madison and Troy as he turns and walks away.

“The GPS in my car showed that Nick did go to the church this morning. He wasn’t there long. Maybe 10 minutes at most. Is it possible something happened between the two of them while Troy was blacked out? You said yourself he can lash out when he's scared. There was a note about it in the file they sent to the school.” Madison asks as she watches Troy walk away. He’s clearly not feeling himself right now. And from the way he was moved and spoke, he’s likely on edge and at least a bit scared.

“Nobody I spoke to saw Nick come into the church. After I called you I called a few people I hadn’t gotten a chance to speak to in person before leaving and asked if they saw him. Everyone said the same thing. They only saw Troy, and he left the church before the service started. He was out back, totally out of sight, huddled up under a tree when I found him. He doesn’t remember seeing Nick. He just remembers seeing our father and going outside to get away from him,” Jake explains calmly, sticking to the facts he’s got at the moment. Of course, Madison knows some of Troy’s history. But accusing Troy of something because she knows something like that about him is uncalled for.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Madison reiterates, shifting her stance to one that’s more defiant. Openly angry and hostile. Like she's ready to take a swing at him if she doesn't hear what she wants. “Is it possible they had some kind of fight? Something had to have set Nick off for him to run off and do this to himself!.”

“Yes,” Troy says from off to the side. He has a bottle of soda clutched in his hands so tightly that the cap might fly off from the building pressure. “I… I don’t remember anything... after seeing big Otto… But …” He looks honest to god lost at the thought that he could have hurt Nick. It makes him look young, small. Like a scared kid and not a 6 foot tall 17-year-old.

Jake mentally kicks himself. Because he seriously hopes that something else is the cause of this. Troy doesn’t deserve this. Nick doesn’t deserve it either. And from what he’s heard about Madison Clark, she is extremely protective of her children and isn’t afraid of fighting for them. He admires that, but at the same time, he seriously does not want Troy on the wrong side of her anger. Because right now it’s reminding him of Troy’s mother… and their father.

“Look, I’m sure that if anything did happen that it was a misunderstanding and nobody is to blame here. Let’s all just all take a seat and take a minute to calm down. Arguing and speculating isn't doing any of us any good and it sure as heck isn't doing Nick any favors,” Travis interjects, being the ever-present voice of reason and keeper of peace that he is. Madison clearly doesn’t look ready to let things drop, but she settles when Travis puts a hand on her arm and gives her a pleading look.

Nobody else says anything after that, and Jake pulls Troy along to sit a few seats away from the others so that he has some room to breathe.

It feels like forever before they get an update on Nick’s condition. He’s stable, unconscious, and intubated at the moment, with an apparent head injury and probably a concussion. Which they suspect is why he overdosed, he was likely disoriented at the time he shot up, based on the way the swelling and bruising have had time to form. Only family members are allowed in to see him before he’s moved to the ICU.

So, reluctantly, Troy goes home with Jake as the others, with the exception of Cal, go in to see Nick.  He’s too drained to fight to stay like he wants. And it’s plain as day to Jake that he needs something to eat and to get some rest. He hates seeing his little brother like this. So hollowed out and lost in his own mind. Scared he might have said or done something that caused his friend to do something so reckless.

It isn’t until they’ve been back home for a few hours and Troy’s ready to turn in for the night that he finally says something that sounds more like him than anything else he’s said all day. “I’m not going to school tomorrow. I’m going to the hospital and I’m not leaving until they let me see Nick.”

For a moment Jake wants to argue, but he knows Troy. And he knows that if he actually gives a damn about someone or something there's no changing his mind once it's set. And honestly, he was going to call him out anyway, after the day he had no way he needs the pressure of school building on to things. “Alright, little brother. I’ll make the call in the morning. Just… take care of yourself for tonight and we’ll get you in to see Nick in the morning.”

Troy studies him a moment before nodding and heading for the stairs that lead up to his room. “I’ll be damned if I let anyone try to keep me from seeing my boyfriend,” he mutters tiredly as he walks away.

That catches Jake off guard. He knew that the two of them had grown close... And he knew that Troy was likely figuring some long overdue things now that he was able. But he hadn’t expected this development... At least not any time soon with how guarded and repressed Troy has been forced to be… Sure, as a kid he was very emotional, but their parents apparently beat that out of him for the most part when Jake wasn't around... 

He’s definitely going to have to talk about this with him, but tomorrow. For now he just wants Troy to get some rest.

~~~

The next morning Jake is up earlier than normal. He makes calls. Fixes Troy something light to eat for breakfast, and has coffee and hot water for tea ready before his little brother can even stumble out of his room. It earns him a puzzled look from Troy, who only pauses for a moment on his way past the kitchen to the small laundry room in the back of the house, his rumpled suit from the day before in hand.

“You made food,” Troy points out once he finally enters the kitchen, his tone the one he uses when he’s pretending to be dumbfounded by something. “You, Jake Otto, burner of toast, the man who once lit a tea kettle on fire, made real edible looking food. Hell must be frozen over,”

Being called out for his mistakes like that shouldn’t make him laugh, but it’s clear that Troy is feeling a million times better this morning. He doesn’t joke around when he’s still feeling out of it. He barely talks until he’s almost back to 100%. Which means he’s at a point in his recovery that he’s bouncing back faster. It makes Jake happy to see his little brother doing so well.

“That toaster was defective, and I am capable of cooking. Those cookbooks on the shelf aren’t just for show, you know,” Jake counters lightly, feeling much more relaxed than he was just a moment ago. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll take your word for it,” Troy says with a snort before shaking his head and coming to sit at his usual place at the table. He still looks a bit off, eyes a little dark around them like he didn’t sleep as well as usual. But other than that he seems mostly back to normal. “Have you heard from Madison?”

“I have," Jake says before taking a sip of his coffee. "Nick isn’t awake yet, but he’s not on the vent anymore and they expect him to wake up any time now,” he explains as he watches his brother rip a piece of toast in half before poking at the yolks of his eggs with it. “Listen, I want to ask you something.”

“If it’s about yesterday I still don’t remember anything after going outside. You know I don’t remember what happens when I blackout,” Troy points out, not even bothering to lift his head from where it’s tilted down to focus on the contents of his plate.

“I know, Troy. I don’t expect you to remember what happened, and nobody should expect you to either. What I wanted to ask you was when Nick went from being your friend to being your boyfriend?” Jake asks as carefully as he can. He isn’t sure if he’ll get a good reaction or not. He doesn’t think Troy would have said anything about it in front of him if he hadn’t been in the state of mind he was last night, and he might not even remember saying it.

It’s obvious from the way he tenses and drops his half-eaten piece of toast that Troy wasn’t expecting the question. And he takes a slow breath through his nose to calm himself before he's able to answer. “About a month. I kissed him the day I saved Janet from that wackjob with a knife,” he finally says as he leans back into his chair and looks his brother up and down slowly. Like he isn’t sure what Jake is going to do next but he wants to be ready for it.

Nodding, Jake does his best to make it clear with his body language that he isn’t reacting negatively in any way. Because he’s not. He would never. “You know you could have told me, right? I would never judge you for being yourself, Troy.”

The unease radiating from Troy is almost palpable. But he doesn’t bolt or shut down, so Jake considers that a win. He knows their father’s feelings about homosexuality, and he knows he was very vocal about it at times. Especially if he thought Troy was getting too close with his friend Mike when they were younger.

“I’m not…” Troy begins but stops when he can’t seem to find the right words for what he’s trying to say. Frustration clear in his face.

“Gay?” Jake asks. “I wasn’t trying to imply that, Troy. You can like both men and women. Despite the shit dad said, that’s totally normal.”

“I know that,” Troy huffs out before bringing a hand up to scrub at his face tiredly. “I don’t… I don’t really care about what gender someone is, is what I’m trying to say. I just like Nick...” He looks frustrated as he speaks, but doesn’t lose his temper like he seems liable to.

“Okay. Just… Just know you can tell about things like this. I’m not going to judge you or treat you any differently for being who you are. I will always have your back, Troy. I promise.” The look he gets from Troy is a mix of emotions, and all he gets in response is a stilted nod.

“I take it Madison doesn’t know you two are together?” Jake asks eventually, once he’s certain he isn’t going to upset Troy or scare him off with any more questions.

“Nope,” Troy says with a tired sigh. “Nick was thinking about telling her, but she went off on him his freshman year for getting caught kissing another boy at school, so...”

“Right… I won’t say anything to her about you and Nick. You have my word. And so you know, once Nick is out of the hospital he’s welcome here any time. Open invitation. Just save the making out for when you’re in your room. I really don’t wanna walk in on my little brother sucking face.” He can’t help but laugh a little at the thought.

“Thanks, Jake,” Troy says in a softer voice than Jake has honestly heard him speak in a very long time.

Jake reaches out and pats him on the shoulder before moving to stand. “Hurry up and finish your breakfast, we’ll head to the hospital as soon as you’re ready to go.”

~~~

The ICU is quiet. Far more calm than the waiting area for the ER was the day before. And Troy feels like he can breathe despite the anxiety he still feels at being in a hospital. Having Jake with him definitely helps as well.

When they find Nick’s room Madison is inside, sitting on the bed beside Nick; who looks to be asleep still. But she’s talking to him softly, so Troy wonders if Nick is just resting with his eyes closed as he looks through the open door.

It’s Jake that breaks the relative quiet of the scene, his knuckles gently rapping on the door frame as he steps around Troy to stand in the doorway fully, blocking Troy from Madison for the most part.

Madison looks up and a hint of a scowl flashes over her face before she schools it and moves to get up from the bed. “Jake, Troy,” She says in lieu of greeting as she comes to stand in the doorway, which Jake backs out of to give her space. She looks like she hasn’t really slept. But she’s dressed in a different pair of slacks and blazer than the day before, so she must have gone home at some point.

“Madison,” Jake greets back, putting on a neutral face. Troy’s seen him make it when talking to other lawyers and people he doesn’t really care too much for. It makes him feel better knowing that he doesn’t really like Madison either. “How’s Nick doing? Any updates?”

To her credit, Madison does try to project that air of welcoming kindness she projects when talking to students and teachers. It only falls a little short of how she usually is. “He woke up long enough to say something about not wanting this and started scratching at his IV before passing back out.”

That gets the gears in Troy and Jakes heads both turning. Because Troy filled Jake in on the way to the hospital about how bad Nick’s addiction is. And how last week they celebrated his hitting 6 months clean. Even if something went down between him and Troy the other day, he can’t imagine Nick throwing it all away like that. He was way too proud of himself. And saying something like that after waking up from an overdose is odd.

“What do you think he meant by that?” Jake asks, voicing his and Troy’s concern for the both of them.

“That he doesn’t want to be in the hospital,” Madison says far too resolutely. “He knows it means he’s been caught and is going back to rehab once he’s out of here. I’ve already called ahead and spoken to someone at the center we sent him to before. They’ll have a room ready for him as soon as he’s fit to leave,” She says tiredly, a hand coming up to rub at her temple like she’s getting a headache. “You’re welcome to sit with him for a bit, but I expect to see you in school later today, Troy,” she adds as she walks past the two brothers and heads down the hall that leads to the exit. 

The look Troy gives Jake is all anxiety, and he puts a hand on his brother’s shoulder to help ground him. “Relax, remember, you aren’t going to school today.”

Nodding, Troy takes a breath before turning back to the door of Nick’s room. Now that Madison is gone he can take a better look at Nick, who’s arms are in soft restraints. Probably because of the scratching Madison mentioned earlier. It’s a little unsettling, but he ignores it and slowly makes his way over to the chair on the left side of Nick’s bed and pulls it closer before taking a seat.

He isn’t sure what to do now that he’s here. What he wants to do. He just wants to be with Nick. Wants to know what happened and if he’s going to be okay. Even if he doesn’t like what he learns and finds out Nick wants nothing to do with him after today.

“I’m going to go make some calls, I’ll be down the hall if you need me,” Jake says, pointing towards the nurse's station they had walked past not far down the hall. 

Troy hums in acknowledgment before focusing back on Nick. Nick, who has wires and tubes and monitors hooked up to him like he’s a science experiment. It makes a part of him want to bolt, reminding him of how he saw his mother that last time before she died. He doesn’t let himself, though.

After a moment of hesitation, he reaches out and takes Nick’s hand in his own. There’s a little clip on the end of one finger, monitoring of his oxygen levels, and Troy has to remind himself not to let it fall off. He really doesn’t want to get in trouble with the nurses.

Nick’s hand is colder than normal, and it makes worry spike through Troy. Nick is always warm. When Troy complained about it on a particularly warm night he joked that he’s secretly a furnace in human form.

“Nick…” he begins, voice barely above a whisper. “Nick, I don’t know what happened yesterday, but… But I’m sorry. I am so, so sorry, Nicky. I know this is all my fault somehow… You got hurt ’cause I’m too fucked up to keep my shit locked down. I saw my dad for less than a minute and lost it. And now you’re in a fucking hospital bed because of me...”

There’s a slight spike on the heart monitor, and Nick’s hand twitches in Troy. “Not your fault…” Nick manages to mumble a second later as he slowly turns his head towards Troy and blinks open bleary brown eyes.

Troy blinks back, not really believing the other boy is awake, let alone the words coming out of his mouth. “But I…”

“You were totally out of it… Wasn't thinking 'n I touched you... Shoulda known better...” He clearly believes what he’s saying. He looks so tired now that his eyes are open. And pale for his naturally almond complexion. It was easier to ignore before Nick’s eyes opened. The brown of them looking so much darker next to the pallor of his skin.

Troy feels a cold sweat break out all over at Nick’s word. He had a feeling he must have hurt Nick. That he had something to do with Nick ending up like this. Somehow...

“Hey,” Nick says, shaking their joined hands a little to get Troy to focus back on him. “You just knocked me on my ass. I smacked my head. It’s not a big deal…”

“They said you have a concussion…” Troy points out, feeling guilt begin to claw at him the more things sink in. He should have known. The second he heard Nick wasn't at the church. He shouldn’t have even made Nick come to the funeral. He should have kept his shit locked down. He should have… should have… 

“I hit my head. It’s nothing...:”

“You almost died! They found you passed out with Gloria in some abandoned building! You weren’t breathing, Nick!” Troy shouts without thinking, his whole body tensing as he lets go of Nick’s hand and stands up, the urge to get out of there or break something hitting him like a sucker punch Nick looks taken aback a moment before his eyes grow wide. As if he didn’t remember what happened after leaving the church until now.

“I don’t know how I… I was driving home and then... “ he trails off, eyes showing just how lost he is in his own messed up memories of the prior day. 

“You ran into Gloria?” Troy supplies.

“I saw Cal’s moms van…” Nick corrects after a long beat of silence. His brow is furrowed, and he looks like he’s trying to solve some complex math problem while trying not to puke at the same time. “I started to feel really shitty the closer I got to home… Like I was gonna pass out... I saw the van and I thought they would help me…”

Troy has to force himself to hold still, anger swelling up inside him. He does his best to control it. Does his best to breathe through his nose and let Nick explain further. Because what kind of fucked up person has an injured friend ask for help and they give him drugs instead? “And their way of helping was giving you heroin?”

“I thought they would take me to the hospital!” Nick practically shouts as he closes his eyes tight. It doesn’t dawn on Troy that Nick is crying until a tear escapes the corner of one tightly closed eye. “I didn’t want that… I just wanted help...” he finally says when he’s able to open his eyes again a moment later.

A small, twisted part of Troy doesn’t know what to think. He believes Nick, wants to believe every word and he’s never been given a reason not to believe him before this. But he just doesn’t get how Nick ended up in that situation. How asking for help turned into getting high with Gloria in the back of some drug den. 

“I didn’t want to, Troy. I swear I didn't ask for this. I thought they were gonna help me. You gotta believe me. I really thought they would help me...” It’s all he can do not to break down, more tears welling up in his eyes as he speaks in a shaky voice. Because he remembers. He remembers stumbling into the house to find them. Telling them he needs help. That his head hurts so bad and that he needs to make it stop. 

They thought his mom must have knocked him around and he wanted to shoot up to get away from it all for a while. He ever said he wanted that. They didn't ask and he never said yes or asked for this. He thought the needle he saw was for Glo, when he had noticed it. He didn’t think... He didn’t...

Like that all the anger bleeds out of him as quickly as it rose. “Okay, Nicky… I believe you.”

A few more tears escape down Nick’s cheeks and Troy finds himself climbing onto the bed beside him a moment later. It’s awkward with the way they have Nick's arms tied down. But he manages to pull Nick close, so that his arms are around the smaller boy's shoulders as Nick buries his face in Troy’s chest.

“They’re going to send me back to rehab,” Nick eventually says in a small, almost scared sounding voice. “Mom’s never gonna believe me… “

“Maybe we can make her believe you?” Troy tries. He’s seen how stubborn Madison is. And he remembers what she said just a little while ago about Nick. She doesn’t have faith in her son.

The manic little laugh that Nick lets out is enough to let Troy know how much Nick doubts that. “I think I’d have a better shot at winning the lottery…”

Troy’s about to make a joke about his luck, but he’s cut off by Jake knocking on the door frame much like he’d done earlier. It makes him jerk away from Nick on reflex, but then he remembers that Jake knows about them and is okay with it. So he takes a breath to calm himself and pulls a confused Nick back against his chest where he’d been resting before.

“Sorry to interrupt. How are you feeling, Nick?” Jake asks, making sure to stand a bit back from the bed. He knows how Troy is doing mentally for the most part, and that he’s probably very uncomfortable being caught so close to Nick like this. Even knowing that Jake isn’t like their father and isn’t going to go off on him for being himself or showing any kind of affection.

Nick continues to give Troy a confused look, to which Troy offers a small smile, before giving Jake his full attention. “My head hurts and I feel like I got run over by a bus… But I’m okay…”

Nodding, Jake moves to take a seat in the empty chair just to the right side of Nick’s bed. “I hate to ask, but did you see Troy when you got to the church yesterday? Your mom said you were there for a few minutes at least before heading back to El Sereno.”

Wincing, Nick shakes his head, much to Troy’s surprise. “I barely got halfway across the parking lot before some old dude in grubby clothes asked if I had any spare change. I told him to hold on a sec and when I turned to go back to mom’s car the dude bum-rushed me. I think I hit my head on the pavement or another car or something...”

Jake looks surprised, but he also doesn’t look entirely sure he believes Nick. “Do you remember what happened next?” he coaxes.

“Dude emptied out my wallet and ran. I got the wind knocked out of me when I fell, so it took a couple minutes to get back up…” Nick trails off, remembering how things actually went down as he speaks. “I don’t know why but I got in the car after that and started driving home. But then I saw Glo walking down the street and I was feeling like shit so I stopped. I thought she’d help me…”

“So you didn’t go looking to get high?” Jake asks, tone showing he’s trying to be careful and not push Nick or sound like he’s judging or accusing him of anything.

“No. I swear, I thought she’d take me to the hospital or maybe to my mom…Everythings kinda fuzzy, but I remember talking to Glo, and then it was kinda like everything was moving in a haze and before I knew it she was shooting me up and saying it was okay and then I nodded and woke up here…”

Jake studies him a moment before nodding and moving to stand again. “The police are probably going to be coming by this afternoon to talk to you once your mom is able to be present. Do you want me to come back then and help deal with any of their questions?”

Blinking in surprise at the offer, Nick finds himself nodding, even though it makes his head throb a bit “Um, yeah, man. That’d be great. My mom doesn’t do well when it comes to talking to cops. She usually ends up telling them to leave after like 5 minutes.”

Before Jake can say anything else, his phone starts vibrating in his pocket. He pulls the device out and frowns at the screen before looking back to Nick and Troy. “I need to take this. It’s the friend I called to pick up Troy’s truck from the church. Troy, I’ll have them bring it here and I’ll bring you the keys later...”

A moment later he’s out of the room, leaving Troy and Nick alone again.

“Why didn’t you tell him Cal was there…” Troy asks once he’s certain Jake is out of earshot.

Tensing against his well, Nick leans away from Troy and looks him in the eyes. “If I rat Cal out it’ll make things way worse, trust me…”

“He sat there while Gloria shot you up and almost killed you!” Troy argues.

“Yeah, and if he gets in any trouble and ends up in jail his family loses half their income and there’s no one to take care of his baby sister while his mom is working overnight!” Nick counters, exhaustion becoming evident the more worked up he gets. “Just, trust me here, okay. Getting Cal in trouble does no one any good.”

A growl escapes his throat, and Troy wants to keep arguing. More than anything he wants to argue this. Because Nick almost died. NIck almost died and he doesn’t seem to care that someone who claims to be his best friend is at least partially to blame. 

The look Nick gives him is all exhaustion and fear. “Please, Troy. I’m begging you. Don’t say anything about Cal being there when things went down. It’s not worth the hassle.”

Biting his lower lip, Troy gives in. “Fine. I won’t say anything.”

The relief that floods Nick’s face does nothing to combat the exhaustion he’s fighting. 

Troy ends up pulling Nick against his chest again, this time Nick just tucks his head under Troy’s chin and lets the other boy run gentle fingers through his slightly tangled hair as he dozes off. 

Eventually, Jake shows up with Troy’s keys and tells him that Madison will be by soon and that Troy needs to leave for now. He shouldn’t be there when the police come by, especially since Madison likely thinks he’s the reason Nick ended up in his current condition.

So, reluctantly, Troy says his goodbyes and goes home to wait for news from his brother.

~~~

Waiting for Jake to get home is maddening. Troy’s been pacing around the house for three hours now. Three. He tried to do his homework at first, but all he ended up doing was throwing his math book across the room and lodging a few pencils in his bedroom wall...

He almost considered trying to cook something. But his stomach is in knots and the thought of eating just makes him even more on edge for some reason. Like he’d be wasting more time.

He wants to go back to the hospital. He wants to know what’s going on.

Finally, he hears Jake pull into the garage a little after 6 pm. He’s down the stairs and through the door that connects the house to the garage so fast that Jake isn’t even out of his car yet when he enters.

“Whoa, slow down,” Jake says as he exits the car and holds a hand up to get Troy to back off a bit.

“What happened? Can I go back to the hospital? Did Madison try to say I hurt Nick?” Troy finds himself asking in a rush. He can’t help it. His mind is spinning out. Jack should have been home hours ago.

“You can go see him after Madison has left for the evening in about an hour. And yes, she did try to accuse you of causing Nick’s injuries in some way or another. But the police listened to Nick and took his statement once I convinced Madison to let him speak for himself. They’re pressing charges against Gloria and Nick still has to go to rehab once he’s released,” Jake explains as he eases his way around Troy and heads into the house with his brother in toe.

“So that’s it?” Troy asks incredulously as he comes to a stop by the front door. 

“For now, yeah. We just have to wait and see how things go from here,” Jake says while scratching the back of his head and looking around their living room like he isn’t sure what to do with himself now that he’s home. 

Troy lets out a frustrated groan and runs a hand through his hair before looking out the window. His truck is just outside in the driveway, and he wants more than anything to get in it and head straight to the hospital. But knowing Madison, if he shows up now she’ll get pissed off and have him banned from the hospital or something.

“Listen, why don’t you get some stuff together to bring to the hospital for Nick? He’s probably bored out of his mind, and I get the feeling Madison isn’t about to bring him anything other than homework anytime soon.”

“Yeah, okay…” Troy agrees. He can do that. And he knows exactly what to bring. “Thanks, Jake,” he says before grabbing his keys and heading out the door with a wave goodby to his brother.

It’s a little difficult getting into the condemned house unseen this early in the evening, but Troy makes it into the crumbling blue structure after having to dodge a woman with an overly curious lab mix, and an old man wandering up and down the block looking at a little step meter instead of watching where he’s going.

Nick’s iPod is in the box he usually tucks it away in. Alongside a half-read copy of Maze Runner and what Troy thinks is a small wooden puzzle box. He ends up talking all three items and putting them in the shoebox that’s been in the bed of his truck since he bought those horribly uncomfortable shoes to go with his suit for his mother’s funeral.

To kill time after that he finds Madison’s car in the parking lot then drives aimlessly around the area in loops until he sees her car is gone.

Fortunately for him, she left before visiting hours were up. But only by a little over an hour. So Troy doesn’t waste time getting up to Nick’s room.

For a second he thinks Nick is asleep. The lights are lowered and his eyes are closed. But as he steps into the room fully Nick’s eyes open and a lazy grin spreads across his face.

“Hey, you came back,” he says, voice a little off. Kind of like when he’s been smoking a lot of weed. He’s not as exhausted-looking as he was earlier, and he looks far less miserable.

“Let me guess, they finally gave you real pain meds?” he wagers as he comes to stand beside Nick’s bed. The restraints are also gone. His arms free and folded over his stomach.

“Mm, yeah. My headache got so bad that I almost puked on one of the nurses. She got out of the way in time, though ‘n they gave me some meds so I’m all good now,” he explains as he scratches at his face with the hand not wearing the oxygen monitor. 

“Anyone ever tell you you’re a lousy storyteller?” Troy can’t help but tease. It helps settle his anxiety that Nick is feeling better, even if it is with the help of narcotics. 

“Anyone ever tell you you’re handsome?” Nick counters with a giggle that has Troy rolling his eyes.

“You have, several times in fact,” Troy notes as he sets the shoebox of Nick’s belongings on the little rolling tray table that holds a cup of water and the remanents of a half-eaten dinner.

Nick snorts a laugh as he moves over on the bed, making room for Troy to join him. “What’s in the box?”

“Absolutely nothing,” Troy deadpans before taking a seat beside Nick and pulling the table closer. That earns him another laugh from Nick, who just leans into his side and rests his chin on Troy’s shoulder as he waits for Troy to set the box in his lap. “I went by the house and got your iPod ‘n stuff. Thought you might be bored.”

“Aw, thanks.” The dopy smile on Nick’s face only grows as he looks in the box. “They’re taking me straight to rehab when I’m discharged tomorrow. All I’ll have with is whatever clothes mom packs me for when I go. This is gonna make being there way more bearable.”

Troy finds himself relaxing a bit as he wraps an arm around Nick and pulls him as close as possible. They end up laying so Nick is basically using Troy as a full body pillow while also wearing his hoodie, and they each have one earbud in as they lay in the dim hospital light listening to whatever random songs play.

“Hey, Nick? Are you gonna go through withdrawal again because of this?” Troy eventually asks. Curiosity getting the best of him. He’s pretty sure he already knows the answer, but Nick was clean for 6 months before this...

“Pretty sure I already am,” Nick confesses. He does feel much warmer than he had all day, and not just because he’s wrapped in Troy’s hoodie and a blanket. Plus he said a little while ago he still felt kind of nauseous despite the meds he was given just before Troy’s arrival. “S’okay though, won’t be as bad as the other times from what I heard.”

Despite Nick’s assurances, Troy doesn’t think it will be okay. He’s looked up what kind of shit people going through heroin withdrawal suffer. He can’t imagine how any of that can be okay by anyone’s standards.

He doesn’t really want to think about it anymore, though. So he pushes the thought aside and lets Nick doze off on him. He stays until a nurse catches them a few hours later, well after visiting hours are over. She gives Troy a warning about following hospital rules but doesn’t rush their goodbye.

He leaves with a soft kiss and a promise to come back in the morning before they ship Nick off to rehab.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to check out the [Here's To Hating High School Together Playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1fXl9HXXalDwxgjQFnKOSm?si=PB1zuSsYRn2xs7JnSkPirw)
> 
> You can follow me on [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/TrickyHannigram) for more fandom related fun!
> 
> Or you can also follow me on [ Twitch](https://www.twitch.tv/enbystiles) for weekly writing and gaming streams.


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